Rare surgery on newborn with ‘two heads’ performed at SKIMS

SRINAGAR — In a rare feat, an expert team of neuro-surgeons at Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS) has operated successfully on an infant “with two heads”.

The baby with a rare condition called ‘Giant Occipital Encephalocele’ (two heads), was admitted to SKIMS on 25 January 2019 after being referred from GB Pant Hospital.

It took a team of anesthesia department weeks for stabilizing and preparing the baby physically for the complex surgery in neonatal intensive care unit of SKIMS.

When the condition of the baby improved, neuro-surgeons separated “his large abnormal head from the normal head” on 13 February, said an official statement.

The infant, authorities at the Institute said, was “doing well”, started to “suckle and cry like a normal baby” following which he was discharged.

Director SKIMS, Prof Omar Javed Shah termed the surgery a “miracle” and said that the baby was given a “fresh lease of life after returning from grave”.

According to media reports, father of the newborn had tried to bury him alive, fearing he would not be able to afford his treatment. But the infant, who was born at Lal Ded hospital, was rescued by police following its intervention at right time.

The shocking incident had taken place in the beginning of 2019. The infant was rescued by police when it had got a call from grave-digger at Malkhah graveyard in Nowhatta.

The grave-digger, while lowering the baby in the grave, upon requests of father to help him bury his “dead child”, had noticed movement and a feeble cry.

Police had later admitted the child at GB Pant Hospital under the custody of child welfare committee.

Director SKIMS said that the baby has now better chances of a healthier life. He said that such vital brain and life saving surgeries can only be performed in a tertiary centre like SKIMS.

“These are challenging cases where management has to be state-of-art. It involves expertise to handle the delicate neonatal tissue especially brain, airway and then metabolism,” he said.

He congratulated various teams that made the surgery a success. The anesthesia team comprised of Prof Showkat Gurcoo, Prof Ayaz Farooqi, Dr Zulfiqar Ali; neuro-surgery team was headed by Prof Abdul Rashid Bhat; pediatrics department team was led by Dr Bashir Ahmad Charoo and Dr Javeed Iqbal and doctors from pediatric surgery department, Dr Aejaz Ahsan Baba and Dr Rashid Hamid were parts of the large team. (GKNN)